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The 2025 Jeopardy! Masters tournament all came down to this. What started out as nine contestants came down to just four on the two-hour finale of Jeopardy! Masters Season 3 (after an unexpected schedule change).
The first game was between Victoria Groce, Isaac Hirsch, and Juveria Zaheer. Yogesh Raut then faced off against Zaheer and Hirsch. The top three then competed in the finals. Groce was desperate to defend her 2024 title and go for a repeat as she had been undefeated so far in this tournament.
Going into the night, Matt Amodio, Roger Craig, Brad Rutter, Adriana Harmeyer, and Neilesh Vinjamuri had all been eliminated, and Groce was in first with six match points. Raut was in second with two. Hirsch and Zaheer both had zero, but Hirsch was in third having a higher score of correct responses.
Semifinal Game 3: Victoria Groce, Isaac Hirsch & Juveria Zaheer
Groce, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, took a big lead as she answered clue after clue correctly at the beginning of the game. She then found the first Daily Double and had the opportunity to widen her lead even more. With $3,200 in her bank, she made it a true Daily Double. In “Books of the Bible,” the clue read, “If you’re not a seminarian & you’re reading Deuteronomy 5, it’s probably for these.” “What are the Ten Commandments?” she answered correctly, giving her $6,400.
At the end of the round, Groce still led with $12,800, while Zaheer, from Ontario, Canada, was in second with $3,400, and Hirsch, from Burbank, California, had $2,000.
During the interviews, Zaheer talked about her “cheering squad,” who always loudly supported her. Host Ken Jennings asked Hirsch if he was destined to be a Jeopardy! Master since his dad was on the game show in the ’80s. “I would never use a word like ‘destiny,’ but sure,” he laughed. Hirsch shared that both of his parents were librarians, so he grew up around reference books, which helped with his Jeopardy! knowledge. Groce got her certification from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and shared that she took her test after tasting wine all day.
In Double Jeopardy, Groce found the first Daily Double. She was still in the lead with $16,000 and risked only $2,000. In “Celebrations,” the clue read, “The origins of this ancient Roman festival are murky, but its name might be related to the animal that suckled Romulus & Remus.” “What is Lupercalia?” she answered, giving her $18,000.
She also found the final DD of the game in “Book of the Bible?” She wagered $1,200 out of her $31,200. “Encompassing math & logic, Principia Mathematica by Alfred North Whitehead & him is a book of numbers & letters too,” read the clue. “Who is Russell?” she answered correctly, giving her $32,400.
Groce had the same amount of points by the end of the round. Zaheer had $7,400. Hirsch had $1,200. The category for Final Jeopardy was “Medieval Times.”
“A Vassal-Lord bond had 2 parts: In homage, the vassal swore to serve, & in this other 6-letter word the Vassal also swore, to be loyal,” was the clue. Zaheer was the first one to finish writing, and Hirsch took his time writing down his answer. The correct answer was Featly.
Hirsch had it correct and wagered $100, ending him with $1,300. Zaheer answered the same and wagered $0, giving her $7,400. Groce did not answer and wagered $2,600. This gave her a final total of $29,800 and a ticket to the finals.
Semifinal Game 4: Yogesh Raut, Isaac Hirsch & Juveria Zaheer
For the second game of the night, Zaheer and Hirsch tried to move themselves up the leaderboard against Raut. Raut, from Springfield, Illinois, selected the first clue in “Around India,” and it was the Daily Double. He wagered up to the maximum allowed, which was $1,000 since he had none. The clue read, “Before a 2020 visit from Pres. Trump, the replica tombs of these 2 lovers were cleaned for the first time in 300+ years.” He answered correctly with, “Who are Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal?” giving him the lead with 1,000 points.
Raut continued to dominate the quick round with $9,200. Zaheer had $2,800. Hirsch was in last with zero. However, the judges determined that one of Zaheer’s previously-marked-incorrect answers was right, so she wound up with $3,600.
During the interviews, Hirsch shared that his girlfriend, whom he wanted to buy an engagement ring for if he won, was in the crowd with her dad and grandmother. Zaheer compared the emergency department to Jeopardy! where you never know what to expect but everyone takes care of each other. When Raut was 5 years old, he was on the news after learning all the state capitals.
In Double Jeopardy, Zaheer found the first DD. With $4,800, she wagered $1,800. In “Read It,” the clue read, “Her A Spool of Blue Thread is set in Baltimore like many of her novels.” She answered correctly with “Ann Tyler,” giving her $6,600.
Two questions later, she found the last one. With $7,800, Zaheer wagered $1,800 again. In “Female Activists,” the clue was “When she died at 108, the ashes of this 3-named environmentalist were scattered over the everglades she helped to preserve.” “Who is Hookman?” she answered. The correct response was Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, so she dropped down to $6,000.
By the end of the round, Raut had a “big but not insurmountable lead,” according to Ken Jennings with $18,800. Zaheer had $10,400. Hirsch was still in last with $3,600. The category for Final Jeopardy was “Island Countries.”
“The only U.N. member state named for a woman, it’s named for a 4th-century Sicilian martyr,” was the clue. The correct answer was St. Lucia. Hirsch had the correct response and wagered $615, giving him $4,215. Zaheer answered the same and wagered zero points again, leaving her with $10,400. Raut also answered correctly and wagered $2,100, giving him $20,801. He then got one match point, while Zaheer got one, and Hirsch received zero.
After Groce received three from the first game, she had a total of nine. Raut’s total was five. Zaheer had two, and Hirsch had zero. This was the end of the road for Hirsch. He went home with $100,000.
Final Game 1: Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut & Juveria Zaheer
In the Finals, Groce, the reigning champion, Zaheer, a finalist in her Masters debut, and Raut, the reigning runner-up, faced off in two games. The win would go to whoever scores the most total points.
Raut tried to forcefully hit his buzzer for most of the clues at the beginning of the round, but Groce beat him to it. She also found the first Daily Double of the game in “Blank of the Blank.” With $1,200, she made it a true Daily Double. “In an early chapter of an 1864 book, the narrator says, ‘the very idea of going down’ here ‘was simply absurd.’” Groce answered correctly with “‘What is the center of the earth?” giving her $2,400.
It was then a fierce battle between Groce and Raut as they went back and forth on the lead throughout the round. By the end of the round, the scores were: Raut with $6,600, Groce with $5,400, and Zaheer at $2,600.
In Double Jeopardy, Groce quickly took the lead. She also found the first DD of the round in “Go Fish.” She wagered $4,000 out of her $10,200. The clue read, “A Florida city is said to have gotten its name after pioneer Mary Ormond Boyer saw these fish springing from a Bayou.” She answered incorrectly with “Pompano,” giving her a total of $6,200. The correct answer was “Tarpin.” This gave Raut the lead.
However, a few clues later, she found the last DD and made it a true Daily Double, wagering all of her $7,400. In “Let’s Hit the Road,” this was the clue: “During World War II, this historic highway carried vital supplies from Lashio to Kunming.” “What is the Burma Road?” Groce answered correctly, giving her a wide lead with $14,800. Raut had $9,400.
“I was not sure,” Groce admitted.
By the end of the round, Groce was in the lead with $21,200. Raut had $13,000. Zaheer was in the red with -$1,000. She did not compete in Final Jeopardy. The category was “Peoples of the World.”
“Heard often in the film The Conquerer, this name of a once-nomadic people comes from a Latin word used for hell,” was the clue. Raut wrote “Who are Tatars?” which was incorrect. He wagered $13,000 leaving him with zero. Groce was also wrong with her response “Who are the Mongols?” She wagered $6,800, which took her down to $14,800. The correct answer was Parters.
Disney/Christopher Willard
Final Game 2: Victoria Groce, Yogesh Raut & Juveria Zaheer
In game two, Groce was the only one with any points, but they were wiped clean until the final result. “But, remember, as we’ve seen in a two-game total point affair, anything can happen,” Ken Jennings said. “This is not over yet.”
Zaheer found the Daily Double in the round. She had $800 but wagered $1,000. In “World History,” here was the clue: “The Piagnoni, fanboys of Girolamo Savonarola, were the main instigators behind these events; one took place on Shrove Tuesday.” She answered correctly with “What is Bonfire of the Vanities?” giving her $1,800, only $200 behind Raut.
The rest of the round was a tight game between all three contestants. By the end of the round, Raut had the lead with $7,000. Zaheer was in second with $5,200. Groce trailed with $4,200.
In Double Jeopardy, Zaheer was in second when she found the first DD. With $10,800, she made it a true Daily Double. In “Let’s Set Some Boundaries,” the clue read, “The Western limit of the Mediterranean is a line drawn between Cape Spartel in Africa & this Spanish cape famed in Naval history.” She answered correctly with Trafalgar, giving her the lead with $21,600.
Only a few clues later, Raut found the last DD. He was in second with $16,600 and made it a true Daily Double. “This may be the end for me,” he said.
In “The ‘End,’” the clue read, “Polonium, radium & uranium were all first discovered in this ore.” “What is Pitch Black?” he answered correctly, taking the lead with $33,200.
By the end of the round, Raut had a huge lead with $36,000 points. $Zaheer had 20,800. Groce was in third with $11,000. The category for Final Jeopardy was “Paintings.”
“The artist saw this subject as a kindred spirit & in 1890 depicted him with flowers used to treat heart disease,” was the clue. The correct answer was Dr. Gachet. Groce gave the correct response and wagered $11,000 giving her $22,000 for the second game and a combined total of $36,400. Zaheer also answered with Dr. Gachet. She wagered $16,000, giving her $36,800. Raut answered correctly as well and wagered $5,601, giving him a final total of $41,601, making him the Jeopardy! Masters champion.
For the win, he receives $500,000, the Alex Trebek trophy, the title of Jeopardy! Master, and money donated to the charity of his choosing. Groce went home with $150,000, and Zaheer left with $250,000.
Jeopardy! Masters, now streaming on Hulu
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